06/11/2011

Known for their playful and humorous mixed-media animations, Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata combine handcrafted art, photography and digital techniques. Since they began collaborating in 2007, Max and Ru have directed music videos, PSAs, and developed original television content. Their independent films have screened in over 150 festivals worldwide.

Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata standing in front of models built for Something Left, Something Taken. Note the large detail model of the car on the background.

05/11/2011

Animator Michael Sporn is always informative and enlightening; this recent post on the use of reference photography by Disney artists working on Cinderella is no different.

In class, we've talked at length of the importance reference material has in lending authenticity to your drawings; Sporn's post highlights the extensive use of reference and research by professional artists. Don't forget that it can be a very useful part of your artistic toolkit!

Bonus Link: You might remember a few weeks back when we watched Energetically Yours directed by UPA co-founder Dave Hilberman and designed by Ronald Searle. You might also recall that the film suffers from a bad case of color deterioration; Mr. Sporn has an excellent post featuring original cels that can give a good idea of the what the original colors would have looked like.

04/30/2011

04/25/2011

In 1938 a young Bill Blackbeard was walking through his neighborhood when his life changed:

On a walk through the neighborhood one day, 12-year-old Bill found an open garage door and, prompted by youthful curiosity, he went inside. And there, as reported Parks, he saw stacks of newspapers, floor to ceiling, along all three walls. Attracted at once to the colorful folds of the Sunday comics sections that protruded visually along the wall of otherwise drably gray newspapers, Bill began pulling some of the papers down to get at the Sunday funnies. Some dated from 1923.

01/31/2011

Artist Becky Cloonan has an in-depth post at her blog detailing the process she went through creating this image for the Leeds, UK Thought Bubble Festival. Like many of the artists we look at in class, Cloonan works with traditional materials (pencils, ink & brush) and photoshop (colors). Check it out.